PARLIAMENT PASSES UN CONVENTION AGAINST

					  UNCLAS KABUL 002735 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR SCA/FO, SCA/A, S/CRS 
STATE PASS TO USAID FOR AID/ANE, AID/DCHA/DG 
NSC FOR AHARRIMAN 
OSD FOR SHIVERS 
CG CJTF-82, POLAD, JICCENT 
RELEASABLE TO NATO/ISAF 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV KCOR EAID AF
SUBJECT: PARLIAMENT PASSES UN CONVENTION AGAINST 
CORRUPTION, AWAITING ANTI-CORRUPTION PLAN 
 
					

1. (SBU) The lower house of the Afghan National Assembly
(Wolesi Jirga) passed the United Nations Convention Against
Corruption (UNCAC) on August 15. Its passage by the upper
house and ratification will complete an Afghanistan Compact
benchmark.



2. (SBU) The Government of Afghanistan signed the UNCAC on
February 20, 2004, and the Afghanistan Compact called for its
ratification by end-2006. The delay has been blamed on poor
translation and concern that it might contradict existing
Afghan laws and thus make necessary wholesale revision of
laws on the books. After rejecting two Dari translations of
the UNCAC submitted by the Ministry of Justice legislative
department, the Wolesi Jirga accepted a third version
provided by the U.S.-funded Justice Sector Support Program.
The Afghanistan Compact requires that the government make
national legislation compliant with the UNCAC by end-2007 and
to establish a monitoring mechanism to oversee implementation
by end-2008. The Ministry of Justice, with support from the
UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), is responsible for
reviewing existing legislation to ensure compatibility with
the UNCAC. Substantive changes in existing legislation will
be required.



3. (SBU) Ratification of the UNCAC will substantially alter
aspects of anti-corruption law enforcement in Afghanistan.
For instance, it allows for extradition for corruption
offenses between countries party to the UNCAC that lack
extradition treaties, and endorses the use of undercover
operations and electronic intercepts in corruption
investigations.



4. (SBU) Apart from the UNCAC, the other major component of
Afghanistan's anti-corruption effort is the development of a
government-wide anti-corruption strategy. After missing
several self-imposed deadlines, Supreme Court Chief Justice
Azimi's commission has told UNAMA that its report will be
ready before the next JCMB meeting in late September.

WOOD